Mezzetta

The Challenge

Mezzetta, a packaged foods company specializing in pickled vegetables, spreads, and sauces, wanted to raise brand awareness and grow its email database as part of a broader initiative to increase U.S market share. Since 2014, Mezzetta has partnered with Linqia to create eight influencer marketing programs designed to build its content library with tantalizing recipe ideas and mouthwatering food photography using Mezzetta products.

“Linqia influencers are one of the top sources of quality traffic to our promotional pages. Consumers driven through Linqia influencers open and engage with Mezzetta’s emails at rates above 50%, which is unheard of for a list that was built through a promotional incentive.”

Mezzetta Digital Marketing Director

The Solution

Linqia matched Mezzetta with influencers in the Food, Lifestyle, and Parenting verticals, all of whom produce high-quality food photography and enjoy creating original recipes. In each program, Linqia’s influencers created and shared original content around a seasonal theme, highlighting a different Mezzetta product as a key recipe ingredient. Each program also drove audiences to enter a Mezzetta sweepstakes or giveaway that aligned with the theme of each campaign. For example, Mezzetta’s summer programs featured the influencers’ favorite Memorial Day and Fourth of July celebrations and recipes while encouraging audiences to enter the giveaway for a Weber Gas Grill and accessories set. Mezzetta’s winter programs showcased the influencers’ favorite holiday memories, including seasonal recipes and family traditions, while driving audiences to enter to win Mezzetta’s holiday gift basket.

Through these influencer marketing programs, Linqia has helped Mezzetta grow its email database from zero to over 70,000 U.S. consumers. Linqia has proven to be one of the highest quality drivers of email subscriptions for Mezzetta, as consumers who sign up as a result of Linqia programs open and engage with Mezzetta’s emails at rates above 50%.

In addition to growing Mezzetta’s database with engaged consumers, the program has more than quadrupled the brand’s content library. Linqia influencers have created over 16,000 pieces of original content, including blog recipes, photos, videos, and social posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. As part of Linqia’s influencer marketing programs, Mezzetta can take the best performing program content and repurpose it on the brand’s paid and owned social channels.

The Results

Mezzetta grew its email database from zero to over 70,000 subscribers.

Linqia influencers drove 149M potential impressions and created over 16,000 pieces of original content including blog stories recipes, photos, videos, and social posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Influencers have filled Mezzetta’s Pinterest boards with nearly 5,000 original recipes and photos.

The program’s top-performing recipe video has been viewed 200,000 times and shared 4,000 times on Facebook, outperforming videos from a contracted video-only influencer agency by 4x.